Tatsiana Seviarynets drops out from the race
She is the first and the only representative of the opposition in Vitebsk region who decided to stop her participation in the election campaign.
The opposition candidate submitted a statement to the district election commission saying she refuses from participation in the election because of systematic violations of the election law during this campaign.
In her statement Tatsiana Seviarynets reminded of facts of pressure on her team members. Tatsiana had to re-form her team so that the people do not lose their jobs. She also mentioned censorship by the management of the printing press who procrastinated with production of her leaflets, refusals to organize meetings at state enterprises and the ban on campaign pickets.
According to the candidate, she was thinking about dropping out from the time when precinct election commissions had been formed: the pro-democratic community of Vitebsk did not get any representation in the commissions. In her campaign Tatsiana Seviarynets did not keep it in secret that she might withdraw her candidacy. Henadz Hrytskevich, chairman of the city council, remains the only candidate in Vitebsk-Horkauskaya district # 17.
Mrs. Seviarynets says she is ready to return the state money which she spent on production of her campaign materials. In general, she thinks the campaign was quite useful: she met many people who supported her and expressed the desire to join the Belarusian Christian Democracy.